Driving an automatic on icy roads and taking off on hills?

The first rule of driving in snow or ice is turning off engine brake. The engine brake is for saving the brakes or the way I was trained to go faster downhill. You can go downhill without engine brakes you just have to go slower. In snow or ice the goal is to get downhill without an accident or a jackknife.

Do drivers think using all the brakes with all the tires helping to maintain control is better ? Or does 4/8 drive tires sounds like they will give you more traction and control ? Common sense tell us all the brakes with all the tires will be better control.

Plus if you’re using the engine brake the trailer is pushing your tractor downhill. Remember when the trailer is pushing your tractor, the trailer is in control. You want the trailer brakes to help hold back the trailer.

You’re not needing to go fast downhill in snow or ice so you don’t need the engine brake. Your not trying to save the wear on the brakes because one jackknife will pay for lifetime of brakes and them some.

You don’t need the engine brake in the snow or ice, why would anyone use it ?

 

“Your” first rule of driving in snow or ice is turning it off, and that’s fine. Meanwhile there are various people in this thread who’ve given examples of why someone would choose to use it, but I guess with all our experience we are doing it incorrectly in your opinion.

Go creeping into a banked switchback at 15 mph and get back to me when your trailer pulls you into the back, I prefer engine brake and 25 mph to avoid that situation.

Another thing to keep in mind, nobody here is saying you have to use it. You’re still free to do it your way. Just keep in mind that your way might not be the best way to do it for those of us who spent a lot of time in the mountains.

 

Yes sir..

 

I learned this about the third trip solo. Running north out of iirc,Sandpoint, ID towards BC, it started snowing heavy. I'm at 80K in a tanker full of fish, and coming out of town there's a banked curve to the left. Didn't have much time to accelerate and the snow had me spooked a little anyway. About halfway into the curve, the trailer starts dropping away behind me and all I can do is give it some fuel and "drift" around the curve nose up what felt like 30 degrees. Pucker factor registered "oh ####, oh ####, oh ####", but nothing to do but stay on the fuel, minimize slipping and try to get to the end of curve without hitting bottom

Yes, the answer is I should have put chains on, but that part of the world is pretty much flat, so it didn't come to mind.

 

It's demonstrated every time Texas gets an ice storm. Everyone will be creeping over those massive flyover ramps, and when they invariably slip, gravity slides them to the inside of the curve. If they'd maintain a bit of speed, the banking would take them around the curves with minimal side loading of the tires.

 

@OldeSkool Never drove one but to me it looks like you pull the tiny switch out wards looking at the pictures on the tiny switch

 

I interpreted it to mean one (in) is auto select and the other way (out)is manual. BUT I don't know crap about them as I haven't driven one. You're probably right. Thank God for manual transmissions!

 

Another factor in tight switchbacks is that as your trailer off tracks to the inside edge of the corner it is also taking weight off your drives on the outside edge of the corner. Not so much a factor going down a hill, but creeping up too slow and you’ll be spun out and hanging chains right in the middle of a curve.